Home / United States / Chicago / O'Hare International Airport
O'Hare airporttoChicago city center
To The Loop at Clark/Lake · One way · All prices are totals for 1 adult · All service hours
3 transfer optionsCar hire · not ranked
Recommended
The cheapest way in. The Welcome Pickups transfer from O'Hare to Chicago is 10 minutes quicker for US$112 more, which is not worth it at this party size.
Boards at. CTA O'Hare station, below the main parking garage, by walkway from Terminals 1, 2 and 3
$5 from O'Hare, by contactless bank card, phone or Ventra card at the gate, or a Ventra ticket from the machines. It covers two more CTA rides within two hours. Children under 7 ride free with a paying adult.
Driver meets you in the arrivals hall with a name board→Any address in Chicago
Non-stop24-hour servicePer vehiclePre-book
€101total for 1 adult€101 each · about US$117 in allBook transferPartner link · through Welcome Pickups
Pickup, hours & luggage
Boards at. Driver meets you in the arrivals hall with a name board
Charged in euros: €101 for the sedan, €134 for the minivan. Converted at the European Central Bank's reference rate of 15 September 2026 only to compare it with the local fares; your card's rate will differ a little.
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How do I get from O'Hare airport to Chicago city center?
For one traveler we recommend the Blue Line train to the Loop at US$5, 40 min, which is also the cheapest way in; the fastest is the Welcome Pickups transfer from O'Hare to Chicago at €101, 30 min. Every option below is priced as a total for your party and says where it leaves you.
A few things for the rest of your trip
Partner offers
Not transport options · Affiliate links
Car hire at O'Hare airportDiscover Cars
Hire a car for the suburbs, the Indiana Dunes or Wisconsin at your own hours, which no train on this page reaches. You are staying in the Loop: the Blue Line reaches Clark/Lake in about 40 minutes for US$5, at any hour. Discover Cars shows the full price before you book.
A flight three or more hours late, or cancelled at short notice, can be owed up to €600 a passenger under EU and UK rules, depending on the flight. AirHelp charges only if the claim succeeds.
The CTA station is below the main parking garage, joined to Terminals 1, 2 and 3 by underground walkways: follow the signs for "Trains to City". It is under ten minutes' walk from baggage claim in any of the three.
Which terminal
Arriving at Terminal 5, the international terminal, ride the free ATS train to Terminal 2 or 3, then follow "Trains to City". The ATS runs 24 hours, every 3 to 5 minutes at busy times.
Tickets
Tap a contactless bank card or phone at the gates, or buy a Ventra ticket at the machines outside the station, which take cash and cards. A single is $5 from O'Hare; a 1-day pass is also $5.
The taxi rank
Taxi stands are on the lower level outside baggage claim at every terminal. Take a taxi only from the stand, never from a driver who approaches you; licensed Chicago taxis have plates ending in TX and run on the meter.
Uber and Bolt
Uber and Lyft pick up on the upper level at Terminal 2, from the poles marked 2A to 2G, and at Terminal 3, from 3G to 3K. There is a waiting area inside Terminal 2 between vestibules 2A and 2D.
Before you travel
Where each one starts, how long it runs, what it carries
Blue · CTA (Chicago Transit Authority)Blue Line train to the Loop
From
CTA O'Hare station, below the main parking garage, by walkway from Terminals 1, 2 and 3
To
Clark/Lake station in the Loop, where the Blue Line meets the Brown, Green, Orange, Pink and Purple Lines
Runs
All night
Journey
40 min
$5 from O'Hare, by contactless bank card, phone or Ventra card at the gate, or a Ventra ticket from the machines. It covers two more CTA rides within two hours. Children under 7 ride free with a paying adult.
Every 7 to 10 minutes by day and every 15 to 20 overnight, from about midnight to 04:00.
Arriving at Terminal 5, ride the free ATS train to Terminal 2 or 3 first.
ATS→NCS · MetraMetra train to Union Station, by the ATS
From
ATS station at any terminal, for the free train to O'Hare Transfer station behind the Multi-Modal Facility
To
Chicago Union Station, for Amtrak and Metra trains, across the river from the Loop
Runs
06:13–16:41
Journey
50–52 min
$3.75 one way from O'Hare Transfer to Union Station, from the card machine at the station, in the Ventra app or from the conductor. The ATS is free. Up to three children under 7 ride free with each adult.
Weekdays only: six trains a day towards the city, the last at 16:41 from O'Hare Transfer.
O'Hare Transfer station is behind the Multi-Modal Facility, on its northeast corner; the ATS takes up to 10 minutes from Terminal 1.
Six trains from O'Hare Transfer on weekdays, at 06:13, 06:58, 07:59, 08:59, 10:09 and 16:41; none at weekends or on holidays.
Blue→Orange · CTA (Chicago Transit Authority)Blue and Orange Line trains to Midway Airport
From
CTA O'Hare station, below the main parking garage, by walkway from Terminals 1, 2 and 3
To
Midway station, joined to the Midway Airport terminal by an enclosed walkway
Runs
03:10–00:45
Journey
67–68 min
One $5 fare from O'Hare covers both trains: the change at Clark/Lake is free. Pay by contactless bank card, phone or Ventra card at the gate, or a Ventra ticket from the machines.
Change at Clark/Lake, upstairs to the elevated platform, for an Orange Line train to Midway.
The airport asks you to allow up to two hours between O'Hare and Midway.
From 03:30 on Saturdays and 04:00 on Sundays. The Orange Line stops for the night from about 01:40 to 04:00, 05:00 on Sundays.
transfer · Welcome PickupsWelcome Pickups transfer from O'Hare to Chicago
From
Driver meets you in the arrivals hall with a name board
To
Any address in Chicago
Runs
All night
Journey
30 min
Charged in euros: €101 for the sedan, €134 for the minivan. Converted at the European Central Bank's reference rate of 15 September 2026 only to compare it with the local fares; your card's rate will differ a little.
The price is fixed and paid when you book. The sedan seats three, the minivan six.
Road traffic decides the time: the CTA puts a car's ride to downtown at 25 to 90 minutes.
What is the best way from O'Hare airport to Chicago city center?
For one traveler, the Blue Line train to the Loop at US$5, 40 min. The cheapest way in. The Welcome Pickups transfer from O'Hare to Chicago is 10 minutes quicker for US$112 more, which is not worth it at this party size. The same holds for a group of up to eight. How we weigh price against time is set out on the fares page, in numbers.
What is the cheapest way from O'Hare airport to Chicago city center?
For one traveler, the Blue Line train to the Loop at US$5. Per-person fares multiply with the size of your party and per-vehicle fares do not, so check the total for your group rather than the single fare.
How do I get from O'Hare airport to Chicago city center by metro?
One metro reaches The Loop at Clark/Lake: the Blue Line train to the Loop, US$5 for one traveler, 40 min, to Clark/Lake station in the Loop. For one traveler that is the cheapest way into Chicago by any means. The fastest way overall is the Welcome Pickups transfer from O'Hare to Chicago, 30 min. See every option by metro
How do I get from O'Hare airport to Chicago city center by taxi?
For one traveler the cheapest taxi is the Kiwitaxi transfer from O'Hare to downtown Chicago at US$114, 35 min; the fastest is the Welcome Pickups transfer from O'Hare to Chicago at €101, 30 min. It is not the cheapest way in: the Blue Line train to the Loop at US$5 is. See every option by taxi
How long does it take to get from O'Hare airport to Chicago city center?
Blue Line train to the Loop: 40 min. Kiwitaxi transfer from O'Hare to downtown Chicago: 35 min. Welcome Pickups transfer from O'Hare to Chicago: 30 min
How far is O'Hare airport from the city center?
O'Hare Airport does not publish a distance to the city. By time: the fastest way in, the Welcome Pickups transfer from O'Hare to Chicago, takes 30 min; the cheapest, the Blue Line train to the Loop, 40 min.
Where is the train station at O'Hare airport?
The CTA station is below the main parking garage, joined to Terminals 1, 2 and 3 by underground walkways: follow the signs for "Trains to City". It is under ten minutes' walk from baggage claim in any of the three.
Is there Uber or Bolt at O'Hare airport?
Uber and Lyft pick up on the upper level at Terminal 2, from the poles marked 2A to 2G, and at Terminal 3, from 3G to 3K. There is a waiting area inside Terminal 2 between vestibules 2A and 2D.
Where do I catch the Blue Line train to the Loop at O'Hare airport?
CTA O'Hare station, below the main parking garage, by walkway from Terminals 1, 2 and 3. Follow the signs from arrivals. It leaves you at Clark/Lake station in the Loop, where the Blue Line meets the Brown, Green, Orange, Pink and Purple Lines.
Does the Metra train to Union Station, by the ATS go to The Loop at Clark/Lake, downtown Chicago?
Union Station, across the river from the west edge of the Loop, on weekdays only: the one for Amtrak and the Metra lines west and south.
Does the Blue and Orange Line trains to Midway Airport go to The Loop at Clark/Lake, downtown Chicago?
Midway, Chicago's other airport on the South Side, not the city centre: for the Loop, get off the Blue Line at Clark/Lake.
Worth knowing
Chicago has two airports: O'Hare (ORD) and Midway (MDW). If your ticket says MDW, nothing on this page applies except the train between the two.
The $5 Blue Line fare from O'Hare also covers up to two more CTA rides within two hours. A 1-day pass costs the same $5 at the station's machines and covers every CTA train and bus for 24 hours.
Taxis to downtown run on the meter: the airport puts the average fare at about $50, depending on traffic. A card payment can add $0.50, and the tip is extra.
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